Before the judgment seat of Christ, each of the believers will give an account of himself to God for the Lord to settle the accounts with them. Matthew 25:19 speaks of this: “Now after a long time the lord of those slaves comes and settles accounts with them.” “A long time” signifies the entire church age, and the coming signifies the Lord’s coming to the air (1 Thes. 4:16) in His parousia. To settle accounts signifies the Lord’s judgment at His judgment seat in the air (within His parousia), where the believers’ life, conduct, and work will be judged for reward or punishment.
When the believers appear before the judgment seat of Christ, they will give an account of how they have lived before the Lord and what kind of work they have done for the Lord after they were saved. We shall have to tell Him what we have been doing and what we have been gaining for Him. This will be very difficult, for we shall have to relate to the Lord what we have done in our life as believers. This is to give an account of ourselves to God for the Lord to settle the account with us.
At the judgment seat of Christ, the believers will be examined by the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 4:4b, Paul says, “He who examines me is the Lord.” Then in verse 5 he goes on to say, “Therefore do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who shall both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each one from God.” “Before the time” means before the Lord’s day (1 Cor. 3:13). We do not know what is hidden in our heart. But one day the things in our heart will be made manifest, so that praise may be to each one from God. If our heart is right, good, pure, and for God, then at the judgment seat of Christ we shall be rewarded with a praise from God. Today we can hide the things of darkness and the counsels of our hearts. But all this will be brought to light and made manifest at the Lord’s coming back. Then every one of us shall receive a reward accordingly.
In Revelation 22:12 the Lord Jesus says, “Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me to render to each one according to his work.” “I come quickly” is the Lord’s repeated warning (vv. 7, 20) that we may consider His reward at His coming back. The Greek word translated “reward” means wages. At the Lord’s coming, this reward will be rendered to each one of the believers, after their rapture, at the judgment seat of Christ.
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